Hello again!
So I'm pretty surprised by all the positive support in regards to the rewrite, you guys are great! I've already begun writing the first chapter and plan to get at least three chapters deep before posting the first. At this rate the first chapter should be in... I want to say a month? Around a month give or take. But I went ahead and made a little something for you all to whet your appetite. A small Prologue for the new story, it should give you an idea to what kind of changes we can expect. I hope you enjoy!
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The stars always enthralled her.
Whenever she looked up at the night sky, all of her problems seemed so small in comparison. It's as if the world simply faded away whenever she gazed upon its celestial beauty, a beauty that could never be matched.
She stared at the stars often. So often in fact that many people grew concerned, her brother and grandfather especially. It was quite frustrating at times, why couldn't they see how breath-taking the stars are?
How could they not understand her curiosity, there was so much they didn't know about the night sky. How far did it go? How did the deep blue clouds feel? What even were the stars?
That was what roused her curiosity the most. Just what are those twinkling pinpricks of light that captivated her so.
Carissa may never know.
A thought that drew out a wistful sigh from her lips as she snuggled deeper into the tall grass she decided to rest in. A frown forming on her face when she figured she'd best head back now.
Her grandfather was always worried when she came out here on her own. But she couldn't help it, she hated coming out here with Jack.
Her brother always made fun of her obsession calling her stupid for watching 'things that don't even move,' among other things. He can be such a child sometimes, she will never understand how he's supposed to be the older sibling.
It's infuriating that Marcus insist she have someone accompany her. Because he's too old to make the hike out here and she has no friends, which means it has to be Jack. No thank you, she'd rather sneak out alone and get yelled at when she gets back.
She really should do that now.
With another sigh, she sits up and stretches her arms over her head. Slowly loosening her body after staying in one place for so long. Carissa smiles up at the sky, a dreamy expression on her face as she takes in the sight for the final time before turning in for the night.
She has a bit of a walk back to the village, but stumbling around in the dark is worth it. The view here is a thousand times better then anywhere in Redmark. The stars just seemed so much brighter out here.
She had made to stand, but froze in awe when a twinkling streak of light flashed through the sky. A shooting star!
She giggled at the sight. They were rare, but the beams of light always excited Carissa. To her, it was proof that there's something more to the sky, proof that there's something up there.
She prayed to every God that she'd find out what hid up there. Her petitions have yet to be answered. Maybe one day she'll have her answers, but until then, she'll make do.
Oh, another one!
Her grin only grew from the sight of another shooting star, streaming across the cosmos… and another… and another?
She blinked, her mouth dropping in awe as she skies filled with blazing streaks of light. One after another, at least ten, no fifteen at a time… and they were, getting faster?
The lines of light sped across the sky in a instant, constantly blinking in and out of existence, faster then she could ever hope to recognize.
All except for one.
One of these shooting stars was remaining stagnant in the sky, a blue stream of light that was… swerving? Was it getting bigger.
The field she found herself in was filled with blue light as, yes, the star was getting bigger. No, closer. Her eyes widened as she watched the "star" fly right over her head, a trail of shining multicolored light dragging along behind it.
It flew over the hill she rested on, taking its shining lights with it, casting her in darkness. Not a moment after her vision readjusted to the night, did a deafeningly loud boom shake the earth. She let out a yelp as she fell onto her back, the grass thankfully softening the small tumble.
She quickly stood to her feet and looked up the hill with wide eyes. The glow was visible from behind the hill, a deep blue that was so vivid it almost hurt her eyes.
She swallowed thickly and took a tentative step forward. Only increasing her pace once the glow began to die down. It wasn't long before she was sprinting up the hill, holding her skirt up to prevent an embarrassing stumble.
Her heart raced as she reached the peak of the hill and saw a large crater, easily thirty feet wide and perhaps half as deep. Flames of every color imaginable were burning in patches around the edges of the hastily made pit, casting ominous shadows in the already deep dark of night.
Carissa was scared, no, terrified. But she could help also being thrilled. Thrilled because something fell from the sky. Was it a fallen star? A gift from the gods that call the skies their home?
She found herself racing down into the burning crater without much thought for her safety. She couldn't help it, she wanted answers!
The Flames that dotted the destroyed field were fighting off the chill of the full moon and thankfully lighting a path to the center of the crater. It took her a few moments to find a way down, it wouldn't do to get trapped in it after all.
That said, it was a tremendous amount of loose dirt. All it took was one misplaced step and she began to tumble down the last few feet. She let out a small yelp of pain as some of the rough dirt cut her sleeves and dug into her skin.
As her rolling tumble came to a stop, she let out a small groan and pushed herself up. And promptly screamed when she realized her arm was right in the middle of a green flame.
She let out a scream as she quickly pulled her arm to her chest, scrambling back several feet before looking at her singed arm.
Except there was no signs of any kind of burn. Her sleeve was completely intact, not a speck of burnt cloth. Pulling up her sleeve revealed her completely unblemished arm, with nary a mark.
She ran her hand along the spot the burn should have been and felt nothing. Not an ounce of pain assaulted her, just the sensation of her smooth skin. She looked back at the green flame, the waving tips a deep blue that flickered gently in the dark. Hesitantly, she reached out just close enough to feel it's warmth.
It was a different heat than what she had expected. Sitting too close to a fire could be almost painful, yet as close as she was now she felt non of the usual discomfort. Instead it felt… like her hand was being held.
The moment she had that thought, the fire moved. It's burning tips twisted and reached out to her, brushing against her fingers. The feeling of it being held only increased as the flame caressed her skin like the loving touch of a parent.
She almost teared up from the emotional comfort this strange blaze brought her. She found herself distraught as the flame slowly receded and started to burn out. She gasped and reached out once more, this time in desperation. But her intent was quickly forgotten as she yelped in fright, the flames reignited, this time towering over her.
Blue, red, green, purple, yellow, every color she could imagine, and some that made her head hurt, blazed around her.
An incandescent inferno that seemed to stream into the sky like ribbons dancing in the wind. They swirled and twisted around each other, creating shapes and patterns that filled her with awe.
The performance built to a crescendo as it formed into a massive orb of prismatic flame that burned like the sun, and sped back down towards the earth. Her heart raced as she saw it impact the ground, fully expecting it to blast outward and cover her completely. But it did not explode as she assumed, instead it was absorbed into something.
Whatever it was practically ate the Flames as they were sucked into the dark shape that laid at the center of the crater. It had to have burned brilliantly for at least five minutes before the Flames began were little more that burning embers in the air.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, the multitude of spectacular colored flames still dancing across her eyes as fuzzy lights that annoyed rather than impressed.
But her vision cleared, and her eyes met the fallen star.
Her jaw dropped as her stinging eyes widened into saucers. There was no fallen star, no celestial relic of incredible beauty. No, at the center of the crater as the most unexpected thing that she never could have imagined.
It was a man.
Completely unconscious and unaware of the shock he had put her through. The rainbow flames still danced on his skin as the last few bits of kindling seeped into his skin.
The man was in strange garb, torn as it was, Carissa could tell they were of high quality. A form fitting black shirt that held a strange design upon it's chest, its sleeves only coming to mid bicep. His leggings seemed thick and sturdy, colored a deep blue. And his boots were made of black leather held together with equally black laces.
As she inched closer she took a moment to observe his face, a square jaw, small nose and narrow eyes. His brows were low, making his resting face seem as if he were upset. All in all, Carissa thought him quite handsome.
But the strangers looks were the last thing on her mind.
Rather she was riddled with questions of his Origins. Who was he? How did he get here? Did he live among the stars? And if he did, then what was it like? Why was he here?
But the most important question that repeatedly echoed in her head was one that she wasn't sure she wanted the answer to.
Her eyes looked down at his hand, a ring rested on his index finger. The jewel glowing the same colors the flame had, as the most important question rang in her head once more, prompting it to slip out her lips in a small whisper.
"… What are you?"
I hope you all enjoy what is yet to come, I will talk to you all again in the first chapter of;
Fire Emblem: A New Fate
See you then...
-Gaijin